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From the Journal Star:
Outdoor blues
Nebraska’s first outdoor practice of the spring ended with a longer-than-normal team huddle in which coach Bill Callahan had some fiery words.
Apparently, the Huskers weren’t as motivated as the coach would’ve liked.
“We weren’t as fast as we wanted to be. Coach got on us a little bit, to get a little faster,” Nebraska linebacker Corey McKeon said. “About an average practice. We need to pick it up a bit.
“We’ve got the Spring Game coming up. We don’t have much time left to work, so he wants guys to really start playing some heavy football. He said this isn’t a week to lay back and get ready for the Spring Game. It’s a time to work. We’ve got to realize that.”
Nebraska had been practicing exclusively inside throughout the spring. Monday’s practice at Memorial Stadium provided the Huskers with the cool temperatures they’ll likely encounter again for Saturdays’ Red-White game.
“We have to get used to the weather and conditions,” Nebraska defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove said. “It was just time. We wanted to get outside and get in the elements. You don’t know what it’s going to be like on Saturday.”
DILLARD IMPROVING: Sophomore linebacker Phillip Dillard, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in last season’s first game, has been making recent strides. Cosgrove said Dillard had his best two practices of the spring on Friday and Saturday. “It took him a while to get started,” Cosgrove said, “but he’s responded well off knee surgery.” Dillard is playing backup to McKeon at MIKE linebacker. “With a lot of stuff that’s going in, he’s picking up the concepts really well,” McKeon said of Dillard. “Coaches rotate him in on the goal line a lot, and a lot of positions where there are short yards. We can use his size and use his ability to hit. He’s playing great football. He’s got a lot to learn; he’s still a young guy, but he’s picking it up and he’s playing good.”
INCREASING ENDURANCE: McKeon said Saturday’s scrimmage was good from a defensive standpoint because of the opportunity for players to display endurance — something he said Callahan will be eyeing. “There was a lot of endurance, a lot of stamina, guys playing a lot of plays in a row, which we haven’t done a lot this spring — 17, 20-plays drives,” McKeon said. “We didn’t get the plays we wanted, we backed it up and kept going. I think that’s what Coach Callahan wanted to evaluate on film, to see who’s going hard for a continuous amount of time.”
ASANTE OK: Cosgrove said safety Larry Asante is working through a hamstring injury despite not being 100 percent. “He’s still got a little pain, but he’s still out there taking every rep and not missing a beat,” he said.
TICKET UPDATE: As of Monday, more than 23,000 tickets have been sold for Saturdays’ Red-White game, which is ahead of the pace of recent years, according to Nebraska officials.
Outdoor blues
Nebraska’s first outdoor practice of the spring ended with a longer-than-normal team huddle in which coach Bill Callahan had some fiery words.
Apparently, the Huskers weren’t as motivated as the coach would’ve liked.
“We weren’t as fast as we wanted to be. Coach got on us a little bit, to get a little faster,” Nebraska linebacker Corey McKeon said. “About an average practice. We need to pick it up a bit.
“We’ve got the Spring Game coming up. We don’t have much time left to work, so he wants guys to really start playing some heavy football. He said this isn’t a week to lay back and get ready for the Spring Game. It’s a time to work. We’ve got to realize that.”
Nebraska had been practicing exclusively inside throughout the spring. Monday’s practice at Memorial Stadium provided the Huskers with the cool temperatures they’ll likely encounter again for Saturdays’ Red-White game.
“We have to get used to the weather and conditions,” Nebraska defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove said. “It was just time. We wanted to get outside and get in the elements. You don’t know what it’s going to be like on Saturday.”
DILLARD IMPROVING: Sophomore linebacker Phillip Dillard, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in last season’s first game, has been making recent strides. Cosgrove said Dillard had his best two practices of the spring on Friday and Saturday. “It took him a while to get started,” Cosgrove said, “but he’s responded well off knee surgery.” Dillard is playing backup to McKeon at MIKE linebacker. “With a lot of stuff that’s going in, he’s picking up the concepts really well,” McKeon said of Dillard. “Coaches rotate him in on the goal line a lot, and a lot of positions where there are short yards. We can use his size and use his ability to hit. He’s playing great football. He’s got a lot to learn; he’s still a young guy, but he’s picking it up and he’s playing good.”
INCREASING ENDURANCE: McKeon said Saturday’s scrimmage was good from a defensive standpoint because of the opportunity for players to display endurance — something he said Callahan will be eyeing. “There was a lot of endurance, a lot of stamina, guys playing a lot of plays in a row, which we haven’t done a lot this spring — 17, 20-plays drives,” McKeon said. “We didn’t get the plays we wanted, we backed it up and kept going. I think that’s what Coach Callahan wanted to evaluate on film, to see who’s going hard for a continuous amount of time.”
ASANTE OK: Cosgrove said safety Larry Asante is working through a hamstring injury despite not being 100 percent. “He’s still got a little pain, but he’s still out there taking every rep and not missing a beat,” he said.
TICKET UPDATE: As of Monday, more than 23,000 tickets have been sold for Saturdays’ Red-White game, which is ahead of the pace of recent years, according to Nebraska officials.
